Tonight’s film TRANSCEND is the amazing story of 2012 Boston Marathon Champion and former University of Louisville runner Wesley Korir, who not only won Boston, but then ran for parliament in Kenya as an independent candidate and won. That having been said, for fans of the sport the film also is about why they run, why they race, what motivates them, and shows the Kenyan running phenomena up close and personal like never before.
With a backstory that echoes many of his running countrymen, Korir grew up in Kitale, in Western Kenya. Like many people in the area, Korir’s family was very poor and lived far from the nearest town. It took a long time to walk anywhere near a town or city proper, so Korir would run to get there faster. Legend has it that every day, he ran five miles to school in the morning, and five miles back in the afternoon. And he also ran home for lunch and back to school again!
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"I always tell people aim for the moon. If you miss it, you land at the stars." Wesley Korir
Tonight’s film TRANSCEND is the amazing story of 2012 Boston Marathon Champion and former University of Louisville runner Wesley Korir, who not only won Boston, but then ran for parliament in Kenya as an independent candidate and won. That having been said, for fans of the sport the film also is about why they run, why they race, what motivates them, and shows the Kenyan running phenomena up close and personal like never before.
With a backstory that echoes many of his running countrymen, Korir grew up in Kitale, in Western Kenya. Like many people in the area, Korir’s family was very poor and lived far from the nearest town. It took a long time to walk anywhere near a town or city proper, so Korir would run to get there faster. Legend has it that every day, he ran five miles to school in the morning, and five miles back in the afternoon. And he also ran home for lunch and back to school again!
It wasn’t long before those around him began to pick up on Korir’s seemingly effortless talent, and his teachers encouraged him to train in the United States. Not an easy task and an expensive one, it involved major red tape to cross and money, but the young athlete saw neither as a barrier and just went for his goal, all guns blazing. The highly religious running star told Sports Illustrated magazine: "I feel like God has given me this talent for a reason. Money would not have gotten me to America. Money would not have got me where I am, not riches; just God."
He became a student at the University of Louisville in time, earning a degree in biology and the opportunity to hone his running craft. It wasn’t long before he was kicking the arse of many speed records, and Korir also entered larger races such as the Chicago Marathon. Before long he was going on to win the Los Angeles Marathon in 2009 and 2010, and when he was not training, he worked as a maintenance man to make money.
One story about Korir that I have heard and loved took place back in 2010, when he was on the (day) job. Legend goes that he was fixing a woman’s light when she told him that she had watched the Chicago Marathon. The woman described one surprising runner, who started near the back and soon began to easily run past all the others. He finished in fourth place. The woman went on to rave about the amazing athlete and Korir couldn’t hold back his laughter. After he finished his work he told the woman why he was laughing. “That was me!” he said. The woman was – quite naturally – shocked.
But back to TRANSCEND, which begins by following Korir’s journey using running to escape hardship. It shows him winning multiple American marathons, including the most cherished prize - the Boston Marathon, before he risks it all and returns home to help his fellow Kenyans create better lives for themselves. He takes on a well-financed, big-party candidate to run for a seat in Kenyan parliament, and we get to follow closely as he attempts to balance the frenzy of campaigning with the demands of marathon training. We see how through his running he realised that he could use this influence to make a difference; to change the way his homeland is governed.
It is a fantastic and inspiring watch, heartwarming and heartbreaking in turn. “Transcend is a film about a runner that ends up being about so much more: faith, service and courage. I was riveted,” said critic Malcolm Gladwell, and I couldn’t have put it better myself.